True Stories Sharing the Art and Science of Fascinating Insects

Question Mark Butterfly at the Fruit Bar

You stop there when you went to the old Butterflies and Blooms in the Briar Patch Habitat. I can’t count how many times I did in these last years, 2015 and 2016 and 2017.

Virginia hung this metal basket, often replacing the desiccated fruit in it with fresh, bananas, apples, orange, watermelon and more. That basket was busy from 8 A.M. to just before dusk.

Weeks ago, in the National Butterfly Center (NBC) in Mission, Texas I once again saw baskets, strategically set about the NBC’s acreage. There too I saw another tool that lures butterflies, common and rare. The NBC staff has set out ‘bait logs’ onto which they paint a glomp of a mix of fruit, beer and more. On those bait logs we saw Mexican Bluewing, Tropical Leafwing and many other uncommon butterflies.

This Question Mark butterfly looked very important when I saw it in the Habitat’s fruit basket. Fresh, I was pleased to view this image when it was processed. The “question mark ‘?'” itself pops! Those blue marks along the trailing edge of the hindwing show nicely, the wing margins look handsome and those ants on the melon remind of all ants everywhere, focused and purposeful.

Fruit baskets and bait logs, I’ve got them on my own future to-do list, being desirious of hosting butterflies and other wildlife.